Pretty Little Pancake Party

I’m so excited for this weekend you guys! It’s Shane’s first long weekend of the summer and he’s booked his vacation around it to make it a bit longer. Today he has the day off and has taken the kids to surprise his Dad at work with a coffee and visit. I’m taking the opportunity to catch up on bloggy stuff and shower. Because showering is important and with babies keeping me on my toes- washing my hair is often the thing that gets skipped. Needless to say- I’m excited for this quiet morning at home.

Earlier this week I had a few friends over for a little pancake party to test out some local butters, jams, jellies, syrups, and honeys that I picked up and received as gifts over Christmas. I’ve been waiting for a good opportunity to crack them out- and while couch-surfing at my Dad’s didn’t seem like the right time. But now… perfect. Before I show you all the lovely pictures- can I say how amazing my friends are? I’d love to say that they showed up to a pretty set table with piping hot pancakes on the grill, but really they showed up to me wrangling a screaming poopy baby while holding the other one back with my foot to try change a diaper. They jumped right into the *crappy* situation (I make myself laugh, seriously) entertaining my kids, mixing up pancake batter and cooking bacon while we sipped coffee and chatted and laughed. The best, right? Anyways. Given that this all happened after they arrived, I can assure you this is the easiest party to host- ever.

We made up itty bitty pancakes so we could try a new topping with each one- my favourites were the cinnamon honey (the best thing I’ve ever tasted, I’m sure) and the maplapple syrup. Of course we had real maple syrup as well- we are Canadians after all.

So let’s talk about what you need to make a party happen shall we? Spoiler alert: it’s cheap and easy. Grab yourself a table cloth (this denim looking one is Ikea, I think it cost $17 and it’s my new go-to) and a centerpiece. This vase/thing was from Michaels on clearance with a coupon (I never buy anything there without a coupon), but use whatever you have. And the lavender is dried- I bought a few bunches of it a while back and it’s my centerpiece in a pinch because it’s as lovely as fresh flowers, but will never wilt. If you can invest in one bunch of lavender- it will last you for every party this year (and probably next). My bunches were 2 for $5 and the centerpiece only used one. Lavender (if you buy plain ol’ dried lavender) is edible too- I tried some with powdered sugar and butter on one of mine and it was heavenly.

The paper doilies are available en masse from any dollar store and the kraft name cards are actually packing labels cut down (also from the dollar store). I used a gold paint pen to write the names to dress up the kraft paper. Using a bloom from your centerpiece on each place setting dresses up the simplest place setting.

The fun part is heading to the farmers market or local jammery and picking out the tastiest looking samplers. Or save a buck and ask guests to bring their favourite– you’ll get to try something new you might never have thought of! Last but not least, I made the napkins and ‘Good Morning Sunshine’ wall hanging. I’m going to be sharing how to make those on Monday- but all of them cost less than $3.

Oh, bonus points for local coffee- we used RedBeard (YUM!). And if you noticed my pinterest fail of a mustache mug- the sharpie mugs don’t stand up all that well to washing (even careful hand washing). Just sayin’.

I had so much fun hosting this little get-together. It made my Tuesday morning so much more enjoyable than the usual. My kiddos probably would agree- they got to eat cheerios at the table and watch baby Henley coo (Aubrey thinks he’s the best). Do you have any local honey or jams around? Is this something you would consider hosting? I’d love to hear from you!

PS. My friend Megan has opened up her own Etsy shop this week! I’m so happy for her- if you want to make me smile, would you head over and check out Arroway Creative Design? Thanks, you’re the best :) (My favourite is the bicycle print)